Zebra printers falling off network

[KenB]

Hi, All,

I have a customer with about 15 Zebra label printers.

It’s a mix of different models, ranging from 1 to 3 years old.

All are connected with the embedded web server, with fixed IP addresses.

They just love to fall offline after a few hours of non-use.

A power reset always bring them back.

I’ve read a bunch of suggested fixes, but no sure fire cures. I’ve heard everything from putting them on a separate VLAN to turning off STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) for each port on the network switch.

All firmware is either current or very recent.

None are using a driver, as they are set up as passthroughs on a Linux CUPS server. The application sends ZPL data directly to them.

Anyone else dealt with this?

[BillyCarpenter]

Hi, All,

I have a customer with about 15 Zebra label printers.

It’s a mix of different models, ranging from 1 to 3 years old.

All are connected with the embedded web server, with fixed IP addresses.

They just love to fall offline after a few hours of non-use.

A power reset always bring them back.

I’ve read a bunch of suggested fixes, but no sure fire cures. I’ve heard everything from putting them on a separate VLAN to turning off STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) for each port on the network switch.

All firmware is either current or very recent.

None are using a driver, as they are set up as passthroughs on a Linux CUPS server. The application sends ZPL data directly to them.

Anyone else dealt with this?

When I set up my new network, all the PC's in the office would lose connection to the network if they weren't in use for about 15 minutes. The cure was to enable "port fast" on the switch. That effectively disables spanning tree. Spanning tree isn't needed if a single device is all that's on a port. You do not want to disable spanning tree if that port is connected to another switch - (Network Loop).

[BillyCarpenter]

BTW: I should note that while the PC's would lose connectivity, they would come back up after about 1-minute. That's because when a port goes from down to up, it has to relearn the topology of the network and it takes about a minute and no traffic can be processed.


I'd definitely disable STP on every port that a printer is connected to. Hell, I'd disable it on every port possible. That would be a good place to start your troubleshooting.

[SalesServiceGuy]

I do not service Zebra label printers, only Toshiba.

Toshiba does offer Z mode which fully emulates a Zebra printer so I can see most of the settings in the printer via the web interface.

My first thought is what is the Energy Savings mode set to?

Are all of the printers set to the same Port#? Usually 8000.

Are any SNMP Traps set?

None of the other settings really jump out at me.

[KenB]

The customer's (third party) IT is looking into it.

If they can determine how long it takes for them to fall off (say 2 hours), I can write a CRON script (similar to a batch file) in Linux that will ping each machine at preset intervals.

It's a workaround, but may be a possibility.

[BillyCarpenter]

I'm curious if the problem just started recently or were they losing connectivity from the beginning? If it just started, what changed?

Good luck, Ken. Let us know what you find.

[KenB]

I do not service Zebra label printers, only Toshiba.

Toshiba does offer Z mode which fully emulates a Zebra printer so I can see most of the settings in the printer via the web interface.

My first thought is what is the Energy Savings mode set to?

Are all of the printers set to the same Port#? Usually 8000.

Are any SNMP Traps set?

None of the other settings really jump out at me.

Not sure on Energy Saver; I don't have to pasword to view, but I will ask.

All are being printed to on Port 9100, but all the common ports are open.

No SNMP in use, at least that I know of.

It may be resolved, though. I just checked one, and it's been up for over 48 hours, and not printed to in about 20.

If it is resloved, I will see what IT did to correct it.

Thanks!

[KenB]

I'm curious if the problem just started recently or were they losing connectivity from the beginning? If it just started, what changed?

Good luck, Ken. Let us know what you find.

No, this is a new install. The printers have been in mothballs for a while.

I understand (from MANY Google searches) that this is a common problem with Zebra printers.